The First World War: A Brief History with Documents

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The First World War, also known as the Great War, began in about 1914 and went on until 1918. This brutal war was an extremely bloody time for Europe and the soldiers that fought in it. These men spent their days in trenches holding down bases and taking in attacks from all sides. The soldier's only free time was consumed with writing letters to those on the home front. The letters they wrote contain heart breaking stories of how their days were spent and the terrible signs of war. The War consumed them and many of them let out all their true feelings of war in their letters to loved ones. In The First World War: A brief History With Documents we can find some of these letters that help us understand what the First World War might have been…show more content…

He touches on their tragic deaths compared to their hopeful letters of going home and seeing their loved ones. He describes his astonishment as he realizes that none of these men actually showed hatred or abuse towards the German, they simply believed and had conviction in the justice behind their cause. This letter illustrates the feelings of a once happy man, now stuck at war. He says, "War hardens ones hearts and blunts ones feelings…"(p.68). This young soldier has lost all signs of the happy life he led back home. The harshness of war got to him just like the rest of the soldiers out there and if they so much as dreamed about accepting the reality around them, they would have gone either insane or surrendered and he could not give himself that luxury so onward he went. In the fifteenth document we come across this British soldier describing the battle of the Somme, The young soldier, Christian Creswell Carver writes to his brother about the intensive warfare he faced. He illustrates the war by describing the sounds and views of what he sees on different occasions. He describes the sounds of gunfire over the trees as a noise exactly like a great wave. He depicts the battle as being swallowed up by the great wave and being spit up and washed even further away. He then speaks on the gas attacks he had to endure, describing it as a great cloud that formed into lines and slowly made its way to their trenches.…

Document Analysis Questions - World War I
The Experience of World War I
1. What was the mood at the outset of the war, and what caused it?
At the outset of the war was that all of the people were excited, they wanted action therefore praising the army, the people were very nationalistic. The war was caused by a buildup of nationalist ideas and growing tensions between countries. The people were bored and nationalism inspired the people to start wars.
2. What were the main· features of trench warfare…

In the last chapter of his book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century," Thomas Friedman discusses what he calls "The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention," which argues that countries which are both part of a multinational corporation's supply chain will not go to war with each other. Friedman believes that increasing globalization has led countries to become far more economically interdependent than they used to be, and thus much less likely to engage in hostilities. William…

Attention step: the change in the context and trend of war in terms of ferocity of the weapons and the increase in human/nations participation was occasioned by the industrial revolution and the French revolution.
B. Thesis: The First World War stimulated the greatest changes in warfare because it brought about new technology and industry development, advancement in science, and improved infrastructure and communication; essentially the First World War combined the legacies of the French and Industrial…

This question has formed part of the historiography of the causes of the First World War, a historical debate that has endured ever since the conflict ended. It periodically resurfaces with new theories being advanced such as the Fischer thesis, usually on account of the release of previously unseen documents or because of a shift in the political climate. It has emerged to the fore once again because this year is the centennial of the war’s outbreak and there are plans to commemorate it nationally…

Research Overview of WW1 Weapons
During World War I many new kinds of weapons and technology were invented and improved. Some of these weapons included tanks, chemical and biochemical weapons, grenades, and machine guns. Chemical Warfare was used for the first time on a large scale in World War I. There are two main types of chemical warfare, one affects the surface of the body they come in contact with and the other affects the nervous system. Almost all chemical warfare weapons needed to be…

First World War
In 1914 the First World War broke out, it quickly became Stalemate on
two fronts, when the German Schlieffen plan failed. This was a plan
thought of by Count Von Schlieffen to invade France, the idea that the
German's could swing round Paris capturing the City in six weeks and
ending the war before the Russian's could mobilise. However the
German's did not expect the fierce resistance they received when
attempting to pass through Belgium, the Russian's…

The First World War was commonly known for its lack of movement for soldiers on all sides. World War I took place on the Western Front from the autumn of 1914 to the spring of 1918. During the First Battle of the Marne, German advances were pushed back by the Allied forces. To stop themselves from loosing land they “dug in” and made protective trenches. The Allied forces were unable to break through the German line as a result did the same and made trenches of their own. Death was an event that many…

When discussing the First World War, there are a myriad of topics, theories and debates that can be brought up, especially when its regarding to its breakout and and what lead to it. There are multiple direct and indirect causes that all are interconnected with one another, making it very difficult to just discuss about one topic without it overlapping with another completely different topic. One of the most unquestionable causes that lead to the outbreak of the war was the alliance system that was…

The origins of the First World War are diverse, complicated and widely debated among historians, especially concerning the liability of Germany. Between 1871 and 1914, there are several elements that have contributed to destabilize the balance of European powers. Imperialism adopted by European countries, especially in Africa, the rise of Germany, which build up the development of alliances between States and the expansion of nationalist movements are the main elements.
1) Germany, a new European…

The First World War
c) The Following were equally important reasons why the stalemate on
the Western Front was finally broken:
new technology like the tank
the American entry into the war
the blockading of German ports
the German offensive in March 1918
Explain how far you agree with this statement.
All of the reasons suggested above do play a part in why the stalemate
on the Western Front was finally broken. Although, each reason stated
is not…